


young, wild & free (I know we're better together)

by sapphire (lunariajen)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Getting to Know Each Other, M/M, Mentions of Violence and Death, Street Racing, angst and fluff but for like two paragraphs, ex criminals working for the government au, just ot5 becoming best friends while risking their lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:14:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21784279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunariajen/pseuds/sapphire
Summary: Donghyuck never meant any harm. How bad can hacking be, anyway? Turns out, bad enough for the boy to find himself in an organization chasing after criminals. Oh, and he sees numbers of how dangerous a person is, uncovers his best friend's secrets and finds love along the way, but that's just part of the story.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Na Jaemin, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 40
Collections: ’00 FIC FEST: ROUND ONE





	young, wild & free (I know we're better together)

**Author's Note:**

> 00ff prompt #00160 !! tbh i just hope it's not as hard to read as it was to write. nonetheless, i hope the prompt author and everyone else like it >.< enjoy!  
> and thanks to my beta for helping me at the beginning :D

"Ten seconds remaining until they detect your entrance."

"Damn, I need more time!" A boy in specs fixed his ginger fringe from falling into his eyes, breathing heavily as he typed on a keyboard.

"Five seconds, speed up!" A blonde girl hit his arm, watching a timer on a laptop screen mercilessly coming down to zero.

"I can't, oh my gosh." He slammed his fist on the desk as the dark room drowned in bloody color. Big letters on the glowing red screen formed into a short sentence: 'We caught you, Haechan.'

°°°

To say the plan _just_ backfired would be a misunderstanding. It backfired to the point where Jeno was bleeding out on a public restroom floor while Yeri and Donghyuck were trying to somehow fix the whole mess. 

"It's not working." The younger boy whined, slamming his fist on his laptop's keyboard.

"What do you mean it's not working, It has to work!" Yeri shouted at him, sending him a death glare. "Maybe just give me this and you bandage Jeno."

"No!" The said boy screeched, grabbing him bleeding arm. "He'll just make it worse!"

Donghyuck let out a shaky sigh. His mind was racing like crazy as he watched multiple numbers flash on the screen. He allowed himself to focus solely on finding a mistake in the code, blocking out Jeno's loud complaining and Yeri's frustrated shouting. His eyes slowly began to hurt from intense staring.

"I think I got it," he said after a while.

"Thank God, fucking finally." Yeri threw her hands up. "Now the only problem we have is Jeno." 

The boy shot her an offended look and glanced at his phone screen when he got a new message. He sighed with relief and immediately turned it off when Yeri looked at it with curiosity, getting a snort as her response. 

Luckily, Jeno turned out to be not that much of a problem. After the girl quite poorly bandaged the knife cut on his biceps, and he drugged himself with an impressive amount of painkillers, claimed he was alright and showed up at school the following day.

Donghyuck was in the middle of eating lunch with Yeri and his cousin Koeun when the campus canteen suddenly became louder than usual. And maybe he'd shrug it off but his yet another female friend Lia walked up to the two junior girls and leaned over the table with a smirk. Donghyuck shivered when she looked him in the eyes. A five. 

"So, there are two new guys and they're super hot "

"Not interested." Yeri slurped her vegetable smoothie.

"On which year are they?" Koeun looked up at her with curiosity.

"Sophomore."

"Well, that's a shame but I don't date babies like Hyuck and you."

Donghyuck was about to cut into the conversation but then the new students made it into the room. They walked through it accompanied by multiple stares and more or less subtle whispers. Lia plopped down on the chair next to Donghyuck, leaning even closer.

"I've heard from Yuqi that one of them is Chinese, I think it's the one in the purple Gucci hoodie. They both really are handsome though, like wow."

"You speak to her?" Yeri sent the girl a disgusted glare.

"Guys…" Koeun prevented a long talk about how Yeri has been holding a grudge against poor Yuqi for two years for no apparent reason and pointed to her right.

Donghyuck looked up in the direction to see the new students reach the table in the corner, the so-called 'popular table.' Aside from the act being unusual, since the popular students liked to keep their circle closed, there was something else that caught his attention. As soon as the two guys walked up, Jeno stood up with his jaw dropped, staring at the newcomers. Donghyuck couldn't hear what they were saying but the boy in leather jacket put his hand on Jeno's shoulder to make him sit down again and then leaned over the table, starting a conversation with the group.

"Who on Earth is that?" Koeun whispered, squinting her eyes.

"I believe Jeno will tell us soon." Yeri folded her arms, glaring at the popular group. "Or we'll make him."

Yerim's dislike towards the students had roots so deep that even Donghyuck didn't know how it all started. It took her a long while to accept Jeno as his friend too, and she still likes to tease him from time to time. But when it comes to Mark Lee, Wong Lucas, Song Yuqi, and Jang Yeeun, he doubted anything could make her talk to them, at least without arguing.

°°°

"College is hard." Jeno hid his face in his palms, leaning on a coffee shop table.

"It would be easier if you focused on studying instead of doing shady stuff and picking up fights like yesterday." Yeri snorted, not looking up from the multiple papers laying around her.

"He was supposed to lose, okay? Also, if you two hadn't messed up the code, no one would break into our server and I wouldn't have to-" 

"Wouldn't have to what?" Donghyuck gave him a look when he suddenly got silent.

"Gosh, whatever. Anyways, Hyuck, I think I fell asleep on professor's Kim lecture, did you note anything?"

The boy ran his hand through his ginger hair, sending Jeno a scarily long Google doc. He disliked the thought of his best friend hiding something from Yerim and him, but according to his observations, there was no other option. Not only he joined the popular group (which has existed ever since high school in this neighborhood) right away after joining their college, just like the two new students, but he also hardly ever said anything about his past and how he started his adventure with street car racing. 

Still, Yeri and Donghyuck, both IT majors though slightly different, united to create a server with all information, Jeno's wins, gambled money, their hacking codes, contacts to people who use their service and much more. The server was the one that got hacked just the previous day due to a small mistake and the fact that Donghyuck, being overly confident, thought stealing confidential information can go undetected.

And despite being well aware of Jeno hiding secrets from him, Donghyuck grew too fond of the boy to get actually mad at him. So, when Jeno offered to drive him home, he agreed with no hesitation.

The next day, however, Yeri was in a bad mood. That meant the two boys doing everything not to piss her off. During lunchtime the three found themselves sitting next to the stairs, silently watching the rushed students run up and down. Two students, however, seemed way too relaxed.

"Oh, look, the new guys. Jeno, you still haven't told us where you know them from." Yeri eyed the black-haired boy beside her.

"The Chinese dude's name is Yangyang, he races too. Hyuck, you should have noticed him, he has a neon purple Toyota Supra. And the other guy?" Jeno shrugged as if he wasn't important which made Donghyuck assume he, in fact, really was. "His name is Jaemin. We were friends as kids."

"And that's what got you so shocked?"

And maybe Jeno would finally share some stories from his past with them but the two boys walked past the trio, waving at Jeno. Both also made eye contact with Donghyuck, and as much as Yangyang's number was surprising, Jaemin's made Donghyuck choke on air.

"Holy shit, you good?" Jeno grabbed him by the shoulders tightly when the younger boy started breathing heavily.

"I might be panicking," he said in a shaky whisper, leaning his head on Jeno's chest.

"Oh fuck, did you see their numbers?" Yeri realized quickly. "Tell us, Hyuck. On a scale from zero to ten, how dangerous Yangyang is?"

"Eight."

"...and Jaemin?"

The boy shifted his head up to see the concerned stares of his friends. 

"Jaemin… Jaemin is a ten."

°°°

Jeno himself looked very unenthusiastic while driving the two home. Yeri's bad mood intensified and still shaky Donghyuck was affected by her complaining, to say the least. In short, the atmosphere in the car was quite low. 

"Jeno, what are you doing?" Donghyuck his eyebrow when Jeno turned around in his seat with two tissues in his hands.

"I am so sorry, I love you guys but you left me no choice," he said and before Yeri or Donghyuck could ask for an explanation they had the supposed tissues firmly pressed against their mouths.

Donghyuck saw his best friend hang his head low with remorse before the world has gone dark.

°°°

The boy didn't quite know what to expect when he gained his consciousness back but being tied to a chair in an interrogation room didn't shock him as much as he thought it would.

"Oh, look who finally woke up. Did you sleep well?" He heard Yeri's frustrated, nearly poisonous voice. The girl was tied to a chair beside him, her hair messy and eyes full of spite.

"Why do you look so mad at me specifically?"

"Because it was you who thought getting involved with Lee Jeno was a good idea! Now, look where we are!" She hissed.

"But what does Jeno have to do with this? He couldn't tell on us without being caught himself."

"Do you have zero creativity? Common sense? Have you never watched _Fast and Furious?_ " Yerim rolled her eyes but Donghyuck could hardly see it because of the dim lights. "Brian got into the world of racers and shit only so he could get them arrested! Has Jeno never told you that he wanted to go to a police academy before he applied to our college?"

"Brian ended up on their side, though." They heard a muffled voice through the speakers.

"Show yourself, coward!"

A few seconds after Yeri's annoyed demand, the door opened, revealing Jeno in a black button-up shirt. The boy walked up to the two still with his head low and a small pout, non-matching his formal look. 

"This is not what it looks like."

"Yeah? What is it then," Yeri hissed again, Donghyuck remaining silent. His head felt like spinning, as he was trying to make this whole situation make sense.

"Jen, I'm coming in. It'll take you years to finally tell them." Another muffled voice said through the speakers and soon a blonde boy walked into the interrogation room. He was visibly smaller and weaker than Jeno but his intense gaze and expression hinted that he was stronger in different, mental factors.

"It's not necessary, Jun-"

"It's not necessary, my ass. Look at yourself, you emotional mess. Hello, I'm Huang Renjun." The stranger locked eyes with Donghyuck. A seven, just like Jeno. "You might be wondering what's going on, well, let me tell you. Your best friend, Jeno, is part of an organization controlled by the government. And so am I, but Jeno's position is a bit higher since he's personally connected to our Leader, TY." Here Jeno sent Renjun a glare. "Nonetheless, as for the beginning, you need a bunch of information about our group. It consists of criminals only and if you refuse to join us you get imprisoned. We demand full dedication, discretion, and loyalty. The whole point is that we, skilled young people who have chosen the wrong path, catch other criminals instead of rotting in jail."

"So the government is using us to do dangerous stuff and risk our lives instead of making the police do it?" Yeri lifted up one of her eyebrows with a skeptical expression.

"Yerim, please." Jeno finally shifted his gaze to look at her. "I really didn't want to get you two into this but when our server got hacked I got a text saying that either you join or the police will arrest you for stealing some confidential information and such and I just… couldn't let my two close friends waste their whole lives because of dumb things they did in their youth."

"Is it better this way? Being constantly controlled?" Donghyuck finally spoke up, looking Jeno in the eyes.

"Hey, it's not that bad, you wouldn't have guessed Jeno's under the strict control of the government, right? You're going to live just the way you did until now, but you have to check-in at our headquarter at least once a week and stick to the others. And of course, go on missions if necessary." Renjun sent them a charming smile. "Both of you are already assigned to specific units in such cases. Kim Yerim would work alongside the females and our second leader, Miss Eunbi, while Lee Donghyuck… You would join our new team. You already met all the other members."

For Donghyuck it kind of felt like a fever dream. Perhaps they both agreed, then Yeri tried to choke Jeno, Renjun would let them out of the room and they'd find themselves in a basement of a skyscraper - the official headquarters and home for Jeno and some other members. Perhaps they even bumped into a few. of them but Donghyuck began to realize all of this only once he stepped into his own room and threw himself on the bed.

 _"You better tell us the rest of your fucking secrets_ " Yeri texted their group chat later.

 _"Right,"_ Jeno replied. _"It's not fair if I already know all of yours."_

°°°

The next day Koeun drove Donghyuck to his classes, he grabbed some coffee and everything seemed to be completely fine. Up until he noticed a bunch of guys sitting under a tree in front of the main building. 

"You look like a disaster, Hyuck," Jeno stated when the boy walked up closer. "Have you even slept?"

"Uh. Not really." Donghyuck cleared his throat as he realized all Jeno, Mark, Lucas, Yangyang, and Jaemin are staring at him.  
He couldn't describe the sensation the gaze of the new boy was giving him, but it was nearly making him shake in fear. He could only hope he'd get used to it as time passes by but then they locked eyes and he felt panic take over him again. He excused himself and soon he found himself in the boys' restroom, leaning over a sink while breathing heavily.

"Hyuck… Does this really affect you so much?"

Donghyuck looked up to see Jeno's reflection in the mirror right next to his. The slightly older boy turned him around by the shoulders and looked into his eyes.  
Donghyuck thought it was weird, how much affection and care he could see in them despite the boy being a seven - the highest number he's met until the two new boys showed up in their college. 

"I don't know what to do, Jeno… He just… frightens me. But I can just avoid him, right?"

"About that…" Jeno lowered his gaze. "Do you remember the team Renjun told you about? The other members are me, him, you, Yangyang and… Well, Jaemin."

Donghyuck's face dropped at the words as he took a step back. He shook his head with widened eyes.

"Jeno, you don't know… I can't do that, some images deadass flash before my eyes whenever I see him. I can't tell what that was but… gosh, he's seen people suffer. Maybe because of him."

"Hyuck, listen. He's not a bad person. I've known him since we were like twelve." Jeno pulled Donghyuck closer again. "He was just unlucky enough to grow up in the environment he did."

Donghyuck was about to add another 'but' but the door opened all of sudden, with way more force than necessary.

"Lee Jeno, you're fucking dead to me!"

The said boy let go and turned around, only to be pushed to the floor seconds later. Donghyuck gasped at the sight while Jeno looked up with confusion. He stood up from the floor, not breaking eye contact with the newcomer.

"What's the matter, Yeri?" he spoke holding his hands up in an act of surrender.

"Song Yuqi just walked up to me all smiley and said she'd be working with me from now on! If you had told me earlier about it I wouldn't have agreed." She snorted. "I'd rather rot in jail if that meant I wouldn't have to see her ever again."

"Let's not get too dramatic, Yerim." He dared to touch her arm but she shook it off. 

"You don't know the story from my perspective." She took a few steps to the door. "Don't talk to me for like, at least three days or I'll feed you to the sharks. But you're obligated to tell us everything anyway." She pointed her finger at him. "Hyuck, better ask him and then text me."

After that she left the boys' restroom, leaving the two as well as some random male students dumbfounded.

"This is not going to work, Jeno."

Around midnight, however, Donghyuck found himself in Jeno's black car, one of many. Now he finally knew where he got them from. 

The sky wasn't pitch black thanks to the city lights visible from the distance, but it was rather dark in the outskirts anyway. The road was lit up by lights of a bunch of cars of different brands, colors, and what's the most important, speeds.

"Oh, look, there's Yangyang with his Toyota," Jeno pointed at the purple car which just rode up closer to them. Donghyuck subconsciously got shivers, correlating the boy with Na Jaemin. "Some people seem to be new here though." Jeno raised his eyebrows at the sight of a silver car driving through the small crowd. "Look at him, acting like a king with that Chevy Copo Camaro of his. This car isn't even street legal!"

"As if any of the things going on here is legal." Donghyuck snorted. "And knowing you, you'd totally get a car like this one, even if you'd have to sell your kidney."

"Those are all TY's cars you've seen, Hyuck. Only the Dodge Demon we're in now is mine. Well, he gifted it to me anyway."

"Who is he, really?" Donghyuck turned in his seat to face Jeno.

"I can't tell you that. Maybe if you asked a week ago…"

"Well, who is he to you, then?"

"Someone who's willing to do anything to regain my trust."

"That's dramatic as heck." Donghyuck couldn't help but silently chuckle at his best friend.

"Do you really demand a detailed story?" Jeno groaned but proceeded to tell the boy everything anyway. And Donghyuck came to two conclusions: first, Jeno's dramatic and he holds grudges, and second, the leader seems to be a sweet man, regardless of his questionable occupation.

It's not like Jeno always races, but that day he definitely felt like it. A bunch of other cars pulled up to the start line, including Yangyang and the Chevrolet owner. Donghyuck let out a deep breath, clutching onto his seat. Once a flag girl, likely a high school student, gave the sign, he felt his body being squeezed into it with the whole force of 840 hp. Five seconds later the car was already speeding at 100 mph, giving Donghyuck a weird, tingling feeling in his stomach.

"Oh look, we're the first… Never mind." The boy kept staring out of the window at the view flying past at a terrifying pace. "The Chevrolet dude just flashed in front of us."

"Stop talking, Hyuck." Jeno's eyes were fixed on the road as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

"Sorry, but you know you don't actually have to… Oh, sorry. Racing stresses me out and I just can't help but talk." 

"Your nervous talking stresses me out too and if I lose control over the car we'll die in two seconds." Jeno hissed through gritted teeth.

Donghyuck remained silent, holding on for his dear life when he saw the finish line and Jeno stepped harder on the pedal. Jeno's hard efforts, nearly giving Donghyuck a heart attack, turned out to be useless, though. The winner of the race was undoubtedly the Chevrolet guy.

"Now you can talk. Comfort me." Jeno slightly frowned and slowed down, pulling up to the crowd gathered around the silver car.

"You're a reckless driver and you'll kill us both one day but as much as street racing is stupid, you're good at it. It's rare for you to get below second place. Maybe this dude is just better, more experienced or something."

"He has never raced before in his life." Jeno's eyes were glued to the winner who just stepped out of his car.

Donghyuck turned around to look at him and _oh boy_ , he's pretty sure he's cursed at this point.

"Na Jaemin. Again. Will I ever get a day without seeing him?"

Donghyuck's wish came true the very next day and lasted for a week straight. During that time he met up with Renjun, Jeno, and Yangyang, who turned out to be super cool. 

"You know," he told Yerim over the phone. "If not Yuqi and Jaemin, I think this whole thing would be kinda fun."

When Donghyuck was to sit at the "popular table" for the first time, he felt a bunch of stares burning holes in his back. He caught Lia's confused look and he just knew it wouldn't be easy. His positive mindset made him think joining the group that existed ever since high school all of sudden can go undetected but well, he was wrong once again.

°°°

The five boys were locked in a dim room late in the evening. Donghyuck and Jeno were squeezed on a couch, the latter with his arm wrapped around Donghyuck to give him reassurance. In front of them sat Renjun with his legs crossed and Jaemin, both on the opposite sides of the couch. And then there was Yangyang, sitting on the floor with his back leaning on Jaemin's legs and a phone in his hand.

"No secrets, guys. We're a team, we must have full trust in each other," Renjun said, his eyes jumping to each of the boys. "Yangyang, you start."

"I see we don't have to choose the leader since you're already being all bossy," Yangyang rolled his eyes but put his phone down. "So, you want to know my history? Uh... I lived in China, Japan, France, and Germany before Korea thanks to my businessman of a father and snobby former actress mother," he started, letting out a sigh. "My life wasn't really entertaining, an endless circle of classes and sleep, sometimes with some lame activities well behaved rich kids do. But one time I was staying in Berlin with only my bodyguard, and when he fell asleep I sneaked out. Long story short, I made some friends and kept doing that, learned how to drive, got drunk for the first time, had some girlfriends." Here he nostalgically smiled and run his hand through his washed-out orange hair. "Then we moved again and in Seoul I was like that from the very beginning. Didn't last long though, Jeno threatened me with prison less than two months later."

He got acknowledging nodes in response, alongside 'I never threatened you!' and a bunch of other comments. 

"Maybe you go next, Jeno." Yangyang pointed with his hand at the boy with raised eyebrows.

"I nominate Renjun. It'll get sad once Hyuck, Jaemin or I start talking."

And Renjun agreed. Despite his talk about no secrets, he definitely didn't seem to be happy about sharing them. He adjusting himself more comfortably on the couch, sitting cross-legged.

"I grew up in a small Chinese town. My family is more on the nice, traditional side but my older brother, Kun, did some bad things and got some bad guys mad at him. He ran away to Korea and I came here like two years later to help him. Jeno didn't even have to threaten me, our brothers are friends so it just kinda naturally happened." He shrugged.

"That's it?"

"You left out all spicy details," Jeno said in a mocking voice.

"Shut up. There are no spicy details."

"Whatever you say." He chuckled and cleared his throat. "I guess it's my turn. Let's start from the fact that all Hyuck, Jaem and I are orphaned… I don't remember my mom but my dad was a policeman. When I was fifteen he… Jaemin?" He looked the boy in the eyes.

"No secrets." Jaemin shrugged with a blank expression.

"He was shot by people… Of Jaemin's father." The other three widened their eyes but remained quiet. "My brother and I used to stay in daycare in an orphanage in the suburbs of Incheon and well… we just stayed there for good, kinda. He's a caretaker now, alongside some of our other friends from the orphanage. And now…" Jeno sighed. "To tell you how I got here I have to mention TY."

"Yeah, don't be shy," Yangyang joked but not really because few people knew about the leader anything more than his nickname and please, everyone is here for gossips.

"Alright," Jeno said after getting an agreeing nod from Renjun. "He knows my brother, Doyoung. Like everyone here, TY had made some mistakes and Doyoung let him hide in there, same as Kun. He came when I was seventeen and stayed there for two years. He taught me everything I know. Then he left for Seoul and since I had recently become an adult, I followed him. I was staying at my cousin, Joy’s, place for a while, raced a bunch of times, applied to college and TY caught me, saying the same thing you all heard at the very beginning. We were the first ones together with Miss Eunbi."

"You left out all spicy details." Renjun imitated Jeno's voice from before. "No secrets rule means you should spill the tea about your personal connection to the leader too."

"This is too embarrassing," Jeno whined, hiding his face in his hands.

"No, go on." Donghyuck grinned, already aware of the story.

"These two already know about it? This is unfair." Yangyang complained.

"I'll say this if you don't want to." Renjun shrugged with a mischievous smile. "Jeno had the fattest crush on our leader when he was like eighteen. Not only that, he confessed a year later but TY rejected him. So our Jeno ran away to Seoul too and competed in street racing against him, 'cause believe me, he was mad as heck. No wonder, after all, they what…?" Renjun looked at Jeno with a raised eyebrow. "Cuddled, cooked together, took car rides at night, oh and did I mention TY used to baby him so our teenage Jeno wouldn't cry after his dad?"

"Jeno Lee, what have you been keeping from us?!" Yangyang cackled.

All eyes were fixed on the boy who kept hiding his face in his palms, his ears visibly red. He just shook his head in embarrassment. "This was two years ago. It was the first time someone gave me so much attention and I have a weak heart, okay? We don't do any of these anymore."

"You literally texted me last weekend if I want some pasta TY cooked for you."

"Renjun, you snake, should I tell them about all of your love stories? Cause there sure are many, you fucking heartbreaker. Plus it's him who tries so hard to get on better terms with me, he's always treated me like his little brother."

Chaos continued for a few minutes, with multiple questions on Yangyang's side. Maybe Jeno would answer them but before he could even finish 'Currently Renjun's in the process of breaking the heart of one high school senior, it's a shame cause the kid is really nice' he found himself in Renjun's chokehold.

"Now you, Hyuck. How did you meet this dumbass?" Renjun pointed at Jeno who switched places and was leaning on his shoulder.

"We have some classes together." Donghyuck shrugged.

"Yeah." Jeno nodded. "He kept talking to me, asking for pencils, notes, and shit so we just became friends over time."

"What about Yerim?"

"She's friends with my cousin, Koeun. I live with Eun and our grandma since… you know, my parents died in an accident when I was little, and hers live in Thailand."

"Then how did you end up here? You look like a regular college kid, not someone who races, gets drunk each Friday and this kind of stuff." Yangyang raised his eyebrows.

"Races? Gets drunk?" Jeno snorted, patting Yangyang on the shoulder. "He can't drive for shit and just smelling alcohol makes him tipsy."

"Uh… Yeah. But I am here with you now, I think of myself as a rather skilled hacker so I'm not that lame."

"Being a good boy isn't lame." Jaemin shrugged.

"As if you can relate," Jeno whispered, leaning closer to the boy, and getting a slap on the shoulder in response. "Anyways, Hyuck. No secrets is no secrets."

Donghyuck stared at his best friend for a while and inhaled deeply before he finally spoke up.

"This might sound weird but I have sort of a…" He made some hand motions, trying to find the right word.

"Superpower?" Jeno suggested, getting a bunch of dumbfounded stares.

"Skill. I have an unusual skill and I kinda see numbers…? Well, not really, it's not like in the Sims, but I can sense how dangerous a person is when I look them in the eyes. At some point, I realized it's not about the probability of them slitting my throat but it's more about their connections, skills and such. Like, come on, Jeno is pretty much harmless but has a ridiculously high number. He used to be the highest number I know, since he's a seven which equals to... uh, a skilled assassin, kinda." Donghyuck stopped for a bit to catch a breath but no one seemed to be keen on interrupting him. "Most people on the street have like two or three. Fives are already super concerning."

"This sounds ridiculous."

"Shut up, Renjun. What's my number?" Yangyang leaned forward to see Donghyuck better, not before sending a glare at the other Chinese.

"You're an eight."

"Wow, not so bad. And the rest of us?"

"Renjun and Jeno are both seven."

"And Jaem?"

"Donghyuck," Jeno said in a calm, quiet voice, staring at Donghyuck with concern.

And no wonder, the said boy suddenly became paler. He felt as if the walls of the room started getting smaller and smaller, suffocating him. He swallowed with slight trouble and shifted his gaze to look Jaemin in the eyes.

"He's a ten."

Once he said those words he let out a shaky breath and leaned back on the couch. He felt at ease and Jaemin's utterly worried expression made him think he might not be so terrible despite what his so-called superpower says.

"If seven is for a trained assassin…" Yangyang looked up at Jaemin with furrowed eyebrows. "Who is ten for?"

"Well… seems like for a son of a gang leader."

All the boys except Jeno widened their eyes, Yangyang showered Jaemin with questions, Renjun angrily hit him in the arm and Donghyuck was just staring like the dumbass he sort of is.

"Alright, so I don't really remember my mom, okay… Apparently, for my first years, I was living with her in a public house." Jaemin started as the boys demanded an explanation. "When I was five my dad came for me and I moved to a big apartment, I had fancy clothes, multiple nannies, tons of toys but… well, no friends. I was told not to get too close to my classmates and the only friends my dad allowed are Hina and Zhong Chenle, I'm sure you will all meet him someday. Jeno and I met on a playground and we kept seeing each other whenever he came to Seoul, but when we turned fifteen he stopped coming and we could only exchange messages. Not like he wanted to talk to me anyway after he realized it's my dad's fault that his dad got shot." He snorted. "But I never knew because up until I was seventeen I was genuinely convinced my dad is just a businessman. He was never high nor drunk, he always wore suits… He seemed like a decent man and not such a bad father either. After I found out who he really was my life got a bit ruined… When he was killed it got literally ruined and I had to hide... But at least I met his people and, as doubtful as it sounds, gangsters can be nice and helpful sometimes... Might be because I'm kinda the heir though."

"If you're the heir why aren't you the leader?" Yangyang changed his location and was now on the couch next to Donghyuck, staring at Jaemin as if they just met for the first time.

"Who would allow a college kid to take over a whole ass gang? It's not some lame movie for teenagers, it's dangerous and cruel. We… I mean the gang has their connections in both Korea and China, it caused deaths of many people and I don't want to associate with their actions. My uncle and his right-hand man are taking care of most things now."

It was not the end of questions as for that afternoon but it switched to lighter topics such as cars, girlfriends, school grades and such. As they were spending more time together, Donghyuck began to feel better and more comfortable. Perhaps this whole thing wouldn't even be that bad.

°°°

At that point, no one was surprised by Donghyuck sitting at the table with the popular students. The boy himself got used to it too. Yeeun, Mark, Lucas, even the infamous Yuqi (whom Yeri finally stopped ignoring), they all welcomed him surprisingly warmly. He would even say he actually began to like the situation he found himself in but that was until during the next check-in at the so-called base Renjun hit him with yet another rule.

"The organization is home, the team is family. But partners are like… I don’t even know." 

"What does that even mean?" 

"Everyone is assigned a partner. You don't have to be best friends, you don't have to spend the whole time together. But you're obligated to always be there for one another if needed. Partners are given simple, minor tasks that the whole team doesn't have to work on. Such as, you're going to get information on Mantis members next Friday with Jaemin."

"With Jaemin?!" Donghyuck tightened his grip on a mug he was holding. Renjun and he were sitting in a cafe room for staff in the huge headquarters building.

"You're not even curious who Mantis are?" The other man chuckled.

"Some organized crime group, I believe." Donghyuck shrugged. "But why am I paired with Jaemin?!"

"They sure are, but the thing about them, it's a fully female one. In case you don't know, mantises chop off heads of their man, so beware. We're working on their case together with Miss Eunbi's group. And you're partners with Jaemin because there's no one better and you two can make the most powerful duo in the organization. Well, right after Jeno and I."

Donghyuck would lie if he said he liked this idea. Therefore the same evening he found himself banging his head on a coffee shop table with Yeri reassuringly patting him on the back.

"You see, this is all Jeno's fault."

"It's not! Stop blaming me all the time." Jeno whined, slouching over his unhealthily sweet caramel coffee.

"You're lucky I decided to talk to you at all, dumbass! I forgive you but the fact that out of all people it's Song Yuqi who I'm in a team with makes my blood boil."

"At least she's not your partner," Donghyuck groaned and he'd slam his forehead on the table again if not Jeno's hand.

"Give him a chance, avoid looking him in the eyes and you'll notice how endearing he can be."

"Sure, Jen! He's the sweetest man ever, would never lay his finger on me!" The younger boy was about to snap. "I don't understand how can you think so nicely of the son of the man who's behind your father's death!"

Jeno let out a shaky sigh, clenching his fist under the table. "It took me a while but it's not his fault. You have no reason to hate him."

°°°

Donghyuck didn't _hate Jaemin_. It just felt… strange. So now that a few days later the two were in a car alone the atmosphere was indeed quite awkward.

Jaemin kept tapping with his thumb on the steering wheel, to the point when the older boy started getting annoyed. He remained silent though, staring at the streets outside, drowned in the darkness of the night.

"Donghyuck." He turned around when he heard his name and looked Jaemin in the eyes. And that was a mistake. He lowered his head, trying to stay calm but there was no Jeno beside him to comfort him now.

"Hey… Are you afraid of me?"

The question hanged unanswered for a while until Donghyuck collected himself. He cleared his throat and looked up to meet Jaemin's concerned gaze.

"It's not that… I just can't help but feel a bit uneasy. Like, it's somewhat hurtful."

"Is there anything I can do to help you? Will it pass overtime or I should convince Jeno to ask TY for a change of partners?" Jaemin's stare dropped but the genuine worry was still visible on his face.

"Actually…" Donghyuck thought for some time and cleared his throat again. "I suppose you can… prove yourself? Let's call it like that. If I see positive feelings in your eyes maybe the bad ones won't have an impact on me anymore. It worked with Jeno."

"Awesome. In that case, I guess we can get to work. The place we're going to will uncover many things about me." Jaemin focused on the road again, not before sending Donghyuck a charming smile and a quick wink.

The place they reached didn't seem very welcoming. The building's walls were dirty, the windows tinted and the building drowned in darkness, lit up only by one red neon sign saying: _Hellevator_.

"What is this?"

"Pretty much a club."

"Oh. Can we get inside then? It's kinda cold."

"You can try." Jaemin chuckled, wrapping his arms around the other boy. "I can't guarantee you won't get shot though."

"Oh. Oh. Is this connected to your… friends?"

Jaemin didn't say anything, instead he walked up to the stairs leading to the door and knocked. Donghyuck stayed a few steps back and just as he was about to move, he felt something. To be precise, something cold and firm being pressed to the back of his head.

"Walk in. Both of you. And you give me your gun." 

Shivers went down Donghyuck spine and he caught himself being unable to breathe. In the corner of his eye, he saw Jaemin hand a gun to the man with a calm expression.

" _Breathe, Hyuck. You'll manage._ " He could nearly hear Jeno's soothing voice inside his head.

Jaemin opened the door, revealing a dim room drowned in red, blue and purple. Few people were inside, some drinking while chatting on big black sofas, some drinking and chatting at the bar. No one seemed to care about the two boys being held hostage.

"Where do you think you're going?" The man pressing a gun to Donghyuck's head asked in a harsh voice when Jaemin confidently walked through the room to a big navy blue curtain hanging from the ceiling.

"To do what I came here for, obviously." He turned around to face them and Donghyuck noticed the pressure on the back of his head is gone. 

"Sorry for causing such an inconvenience, Jaemin."

"It's alright, it's not like I come here often nowadays, you could have not recognized me, Hyungwon." Jaemin gave the man a polite smile and hand motioned for Donghyuck to come closer.

He opened the curtain and the two walked inside of a way different room, drowned in golden light. They could see more people there, usually smoking and overall having fun. A small group of men definitely stood out from the rest though, sitting in prestigious-looking sofas and wearing expensive suits.

"Who are they?" Donghyuck whispered, gripping at Jaemin's sleeve.

"I believe you do realize there are certain positions in gangs. Well, those are more of higher-ups. The one in a dark red suit is a security chief, Jeonghan. He's super nice if you obey the rules. The man next to him is a treasurer, he manages all the money. And the blond one is a hitman but a good one. The girls are mostly prostitutes. Some of them might as well be part of Mantis and this is what we came to check."

After muttering a short 'I see' Donghyuck stayed quiet. Sure, he was an open person, but the presence of people having no problem with shoving a bullet into his chest made him feel slightly uncomfortable.

"You're safe with me. In case they ask unnecessary questions I'll tell them you're my boyfriend."

He nodded in response, wondering if he's being that obvious with his fear or if it's Jaemin who can read expressions well. Both might have been true.

Approximately ten minutes later Donghyuck found himself in Jaemin's lap, putting on a fake smile and acting as if they're actually close to the point where the three men can share confidential information to the Jaemin's supposed boyfriend too.

"You know, if you want to know more about other organizations messing with ours then you should go to Daehyun, he's upstairs." Jeonghan nonchalantly pointed at the ceiling. "Your boy might have to stay, though."

Donghyuck could feel a bunch of stares on himself. No wonder, he knew he looked a bit… how to say this… In short, Yeri forcefully made him give up on his usual set: shorts, huge t-shirt, sometimes a cap or a beanie (as of winter version: black skinny jeans, a turtleneck or a hoodie and a leather jacket on top). Instead, she gave him ripped jeans, a big flaring red band tee tucked into them, constantly sliding off his shoulder and exposing his highlighted collarbone, and a grey checkered flannel around his waist. Topped with a bunch of chains, fake earrings, a choker and there we go! An outfit perfect for a punk. Because of the amount of make up on his face though, might as well be for a hoe. And apparently, that's what everyone thought.

"My boy is definitely not staying here with you," Jaemin said through gritted teeth, making both of them stand up. Donghyuck didn't even have to remind himself to hold onto the taller boy, his hand automatically clutching on Jaemin's sleeve. The men might have been nines, but undoubtedly more harmful than the ex-leader’s son.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm a social butterfly," Donghyuck whispered to Jaemin as they were walking through a dim hall to the staircase, "but oh boy, this place makes me hella uncomfy."

"No wonder, if you nearly get panic attacks while looking me in the eyes- Oh, wait, are you alright with us being so close?"

"Yeah, suddenly your presence became weirdly comforting." Donghyuck chuckled when he saw Jaemin's overly worried expression. "You're ten times better than those people."

"Thanks, I guess."

They reached one of many doors upstairs yet Jaemin knew exactly on which he should knock. 

"Na Jaemin and who…? Is it Lee Donghyuck?"

The latter got shivers when he hear the muffled voice say his name from behind the door. He discreetly looked around to find a camera in the dim corridor.

"Yes."

At Jaemin's word, the door opened, revealing the so-called Daehyun. He was a bit taller but visibly older, with blond highlights. At least that's what normal people would notice. Because for Donghyuck it was his number. The number that made him stumble backward and grip on Jaemin's arm for his dear life.

" _You'll be fine, Hyuck. Breathe in… and breathe out._ " Jeno's calm voice rang in Donghyuck's mind once again this night. It gave him flashbacks to their first year of college.

"Donghyuck…" Jaemin hissed, wrapping his arm around the boy's waist.

"I'm alright."

"Is something wrong?" Daehyun asked and Donghyuck automatically looked up at him. 

_Damn._

_Two male figures walking alongside each other through dark streets. Father, wearing a black suit, and son, in a bright orange hoodie, happily talking about something. Suddenly, there's a gunshot. A man in white attire runs up to the body on the concrete sidewalk and the shaking teenager._

Donghyuck recognizes Daehyun in the man in white. Needless to say, the boy is Jaemin. 

"No… I'm just a bit tipsy." Donghyuck laughed awkwardly, avoiding further eye contact and gripping tighter on the boy beside him.

Jaemin and Daehyun moved to a corner of the room, discussing quietly while Donghyuck decided to play dumb and take a look at the equipment of the room. As he was watching the multiple screens as if he had no idea what the codes on them mean, he heard Jaemin let out a loud sigh.

"Hyuck, we're leaving."

"Oh, wait! I lost my earring!" Donghyuck whined, clearly being overdramatic.

"I'll buy you new ones, let's go."

"No, it's the one you got me for our first anniversary!"

Jaemin raised one eyebrow but decided to play along. Donghyuck found himself under Daehyun's desk, using the flashlight on his phone. After a long while of his complaining he finally stated that he found it, but took a strangely long time to get up.

"Now can you hurry up?" Daehyun asked in a quiet voice, suggestively opening the door.

After forced goodbyes, the two left the room.

"We didn't get anything." Jaemin sighed as they were walking down the stairs.

"You didn't get anything, sweetie." Donghyuck laughed at Jaemin's expression. "Don't forget I'm Haechan, a respected hacker. You think what I was doing under his desk? Because surely not looking for the earrings you gave me for our first anniversary." He chuckled again. "I downloaded access to his server. He uses the same format as Yeri and I not to have information on any physical device. We got hacked last time so I know what to do for him to never find out."

"Are you sure he can't hear us?"

"Nope, this is a dead spot. I know what I'm doing, Jaemin."

Jaemin kept his stare fixed on the boy. And Donghyuck didn't know that, but there, on a dirty staircase, in dim yellowish light, reflecting Donghyuck's highlighter and glittery eyeshadow, Jaemin thought he was beautiful.

"You're pretty confident when you're talking about this kind of stuff."

"I'm confident all the time, it's just you who made me feel a bit weird at first." Donghyuck snorted as they entered the big room full of people again.

"Weird? You were deadass scared, coward. But I guess I should feel special for making you shy, baby." Jaemin raised his eyebrows with a smirk, only to get a groan in response.

"I really hope you're saying it only because your gangster friends are staring at us."

Jaemin didn't reply, instead intertwined their hands and walked up to Jeonghan who motioned for them to come closer.

"And how are my love birds doing? Did you get want you want? You stayed upstairs for a long time. Or maybe you just made use of one of the free rooms, huh?"

Donghyuck covered his disgust with a fake smile while Jaemin awkwardly laughed.

"Oh no, we just had a long talk with Daehyun. We might come some time again, we're leaving now."

The two made it to Jaemin's Chevrolet and sat in silence for a while. While the younger boy was starting the engine, Donghyuck spoke up.

"You know," he said, staring at the red neon sign outside they just left behind. "Daehyun is a ten too."

"No wonder. He used to be my dad's right hand for a while. Now he's the chief enforcer."

"I think I should tell you something…" Donghyuck inhaled a bit shakily, glancing at the driver. "I hope I don't ruin our friendship while it's still in its fetus form."

"Our self proclaimed leader Renjun said no secrets." Jaemin shrugged. "Also I'm glad you're willing to get closer to me."

"Yeah so… For the first few times I looked you in the eyes I saw flashes of some images… Just little pieces, your shaking bloody hands, a dark alley, laugh interrupted by a gunshot…" Jaemin already knew what Donghyuck was talking about, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. "But today when I locked eyes with Daehyun I saw everything, he had the missing pieces. I feel so sorry for you, Jaem. I might be an orphan too but I will never understand what it must be like to see your parent die."

Jaemin nodded. "It's still more of a fresh wound, less than three years ago… I appreciate what you told me. It will affect our friendship though. In a good way, I believe. Only Jeno knows what exactly happened." Jaemin stopped focusing on the road for a few seconds to look at Donghyuck.

They kept talking about similar topics, shifting to a bit lighter ones as they got closer to Donghyuck's house.

"Work on what you got today. See you on Monday." Jaemin sent the boy a charming smile as he got out of the car and was about to close the door.

"Yeah, bye. Good night, Jaemin."

Donghyuck turned around, a little smile forming on her s face. Perhaps for the first time, looking Jaemin in the eyes gave him some sort of joy.

°°°

"It's going way too fast," Donghyuck said a week later, closing his laptop. He was spending the lunch break in a cafeteria with Jeno, Yeri, and Koeun.

"No shit."

"Yeah, Na Jaemin drove you home in the middle of the night last Friday. And you were looking like…Gosh. I can't even say it." Koeun nearly shivered.

"Alright, shut up, it's me who chose the outfit."

"I can tell, he doesn't own anything other than t-shirts I'd fit twice into and striped turtlenecks! Where'd you get those clothes from?"

Yeri only shrugged, suddenly focusing back on her notes from the previous lecture. Jeno squinted his eyes as if he knew who's the actual owner of the clothing pieces but didn't say anything.

The girl was going through a lot at the moment too. A month since that day Jeno pretty much kidnapped them was nearing. 

Just a few days earlier, on Saturday, while Yeri was sleeping over, Donghyuck walked out on the balcony in Koeun's room to get some fresh air and clear his head out of intrusive thoughts. As he took a deep breath though, he felt a sour burning feeling in the back of his throat. He coughed the smoke out, looking to his right.

"Sorry. Didn't think you'd come here."

"Yerim… You said you don't smoke anymore."

"I got anxious."

Donghyuck could understand that. He's never pressured his friends to tell him their secrets but he was aware they had struggles as well. Yeri was doing great anyway, way better than she herself had expected. Or maybe Yuqi just wasn't that annoying.

°°°

On Thursday Donghyuck had to check-in at the headquarters together with Jaemin. The boy might not have been the ideal company but Hyuck would lie if he said he'd rather go to the building alone.

"Stop walking so close to me." He rolled his eyes when Jaemin slightly bumped their shoulders again.

"You were clinging to me like a baby a week ago!"

"It was a completely different, incomparable situation, Jaemin!"

And the two of them would probably continue bickering but a black car pulled up to them right in front of the entrance. Jeno would enthusiastically say it's an Audi A5 but he wasn't there. At least the two boys thought so, until the tinted window rolled down. Jeno was sitting in the passenger seat, with his head hanging low. But oh man, the driver. He had black sunglasses on yet Donghyuck could totally tell he was extremely handsome. His prominent jawline, perfectly arched eyebrows and deep red hair styled to the back. He turned his head at him and slid his sunglasses a bit lower, locking eyes with Donghyuck for a split second.

"Now that was weird," the boy said when the car pulled off.

"What?"

"What do you mean 'what'? TY just looked at me and Jeno is in his car for some unknown reason. Besides that, take a guess on his number."

"Should be a high one but basing on your reaction, seems like a calm eight."

"First thing, eights aren't calm, Jaemin. If I saw an eight three years ago I would have got a heart attack. It's just that now I meet dangerous people every day. But no, TY is not an eight. He's a ten. In both meanings, just saying." Jaemin sent him a slightly offended look. For a second, Donghyuck wanted to add 'You are too.' "But for real, I can't believe I didn't see any bloody scenes. Instead, there were some politicians with money in a dressing-case."

"Alright, honey. Politics are messed up, let's just focus on our job."

Donghyuck snorted but didn't say anything. The two of them went to the receptionist, a young lady. The procedure didn't last long and ten minutes later Hyuck found himself wandering around the halls, waiting for Jaemin to finally come back from the restroom.

"Just tell me… Why did you keep seeing another man?"

Donghyuck heard and stopped in his tracks as he was about to turn into the corridor on the left. 

"If you told me earlier that I'm only part of your sick 'How many hearts I can break before settling down and getting a wife' challenge… " The young male voice continued, full of sorrow. "I believed all of your words and gentle touches. And what for?" A short, bitter chuckle echoed in the hall. "What did I gain out of believing you, Renjun?"

Donghyuck's eyes widened as he heard the name. Suddenly he got flashbacks to their first meeting as a team when Jeno made a mention about Renjun's love life. So that's the high school senior he's breaking the heart of. Probably already did.

"You don't know everything, Jisung. Once you calm down I will explain the whole situation to you. You can't allow your feelings to take over your actions."

Donghyuck blinked a few times, trying to get rid of an intrusive thought. Do his feelings take over his actions? Specifically, his unknown, strange feelings for Jaemin?

"Hyuck, where the heck have you been?" Jaemin showed up in front of him all of sudden.

"Shut up, you moron," Donghyuck aggressively whispered, pulling the taller boy closer and putting a hand over his mouth. 

"What are you doing?" Jaemin's voice was muffled. He stared at Donghyuck with his eyes wide open.

But Donghyuck didn't have to explain anything. The high school senior kid passed by them, tears silently streaming down his face. Seconds later Renjun ran after him but stopped when he saw the two, leaning against a wall.

"Oh. Donghyuck and Jaemin. If you wanted to know the details of my love life you could have just asked." He frowned, glaring at the two.

"We didn't mean to eavesdrop… Jaemin doesn't even know what's going on. I'm not going to judge you." Donghyuck held his hands up in a surrendering gesture.

"Whatever."

The two soon were left alone in the hall. Jaemin drove Donghyuck home like he promised, which didn't go undetected by Koeun. When he was done explaining himself, Donghyuck ended up in the attic, his little workshop. He put on his specs, plugged in his laptop and watched as each of his monitor screens light up, snowing multiple numbers. He let out a deep sigh and rested his head on his palms. Yet another night of decoding Daehyun's server.

°°°

"What kind of evil creature programmed it?!"

"Probably Changkyun with friends."

"Four layers, Jaemin. Four times I had to decode it to get any sort of information."

"What did you expect? Lives of many people depend on this thing."

On a Saturday night, Donghyuck found himself in Jaemin's Chevrolet. Not just because there was a clear reason and that is: street racing. Also, not like he wanted but he just really had no choice.

"Can't I stay and just watch? I'll be able to talk to more people then."

"Oh, sure you will, lonely, scared, surrounded by dangerous personas... But if you really want to get assaulted or kidnapped, I can let you out of my car, pretty boy." Jaemin raised his eyebrows, his voice full of irony and perhaps something else. 

"Shut up, Jaemin. You should know I'm slightly afraid of cars… My parents died in an accident, after all." Donghyuck added quietly.

"I know. Sorry. But I can't leave you alone. Next time we'll bring someone else too, alright? Today you have to stay with me, I'll make sure you're safe." Jaemin hesitated but put his hand on Donghyuck's knee in a reassuring gesture.

"That grossly reminds me of some Harry Styles fanfiction." 

"Is it a good thing?" Jaemin chuckled, focusing back on the cars slowly getting on the start line.

"Well, I don't know." Donghyuck shrugged. Part of him wanted to add 'They hook up in the third chapter though.'

Once they pulled up to the start line and the start was announced, it felt like everything stopped existing. Just them and the car, the straight road in front of them. And of course, the weird feeling Donghyuck got in his stomach at the very beginning coming together with inner panic.

Turns out, the panic was actually unnecessary. Jaemin was a fast but steady driver. Donghyuck couldn't help but smile at the adrenaline rush. They were smoothly but gradually getting faster and faster, soon reaching second place.

"Just one black car and we're going to be first."

"Are you sure? It might get a bit dangerous."

The boy nodded and watched as Jaemin tightened his grip on the steering wheel until his knuckles become pale and the number right behind it grew higher each second.

He gulped when they reached the black car. The tinted windows prevented Donghyuck from seeing the driver's face. But the roar of the engine, the sharp moves of the car clearly gave away that he's not willing to lose.

As the cars we're driving next to one another, the black one kept coming closer.

"Oh goodness, we're gonna crash." The adrenaline was gone. Donghyuck gripped on his seat, in horror, almost, watching the car through the window.

"If that guy thinks he can harm my Chevrolet or my man… Oh, he's so wrong." Jaemin's voice was venomous, he gritted his teeth, and when the start line was seconds away, he pushed the pedal to the floor with his whole force.

Donghyuck flinched at the move, in fact was nearly thrown. But it worked, they were first by a matter of less than a second.

"You, won, Jaemin!"

They slowed down and soon stopped, far after the finish line. The brown-haired boy turned his head to look at Donghyuck. And for the first time, Hyuck didn't feel even a hint of fear. Jaemin leaned closer and he could finally take a look into his deep chocolate brown doe eyes. Filled with warmth and utmost care for Donghyuck specifically.

"Wow. You just won in a street race, in a few minutes we'll be surrounded by a crowd of your gangster friends, and you have like three guns in your car… so how come I'm not afraid anymore?" His voice was just above a whisper.

"Guess I proved myself." Jaemin shrugged with that signature smile of him, sweet, charming and now perhaps a bit seductive too.

"Yeah, I suppose." Donghyuck let out an airly chuckle and lowered his gaze. In the corner of his eye, he noticed the slightly younger boy lean even closer and soon felt a delicate kiss, nearly like a touch of a feather, being placed on the top of his head.

"What?" He looked back at Jaemin, trying to hold back laughter. 

"Well, now you've ruined the atmosphere."

"Sorry, just…" Donghyuck chuckled. "That's super gay. Not that I'm complaining, my girl friends do it a lot, but uh… Didn't expect the two of us to go this way. At least this early."

"Yangyang is literally the only het in our team, love. I can stop if you're uncomfortable but don't forget all of my friends still think you're my boyfriend."

Donghyuck sighed and rubbed his temples. He side-eyed the boy beside him, still staring at him with a playful glint in his eyes.

"Whatever. But don't even try to kiss me for the first time in front of your gang dudes."

"For real? Can I do it now then?"

"Absolutely not."

About five minutes later the two were already outside of the car, talking with other racers and viewers. Mostly moderately dangerous, up to eight. That was until their main opponent showed up.

"Oh look, the black car dude." Donghyuck poked Jaemin's side and turned the camera in his phone to show the car to Jeno.

"What a monster." Jeno gasped through the video call. "Actually, it's a Mercedes-AMG GT 4. Not gonna lie, AMG GT 63 S is better. But still, looks cool, the guy- Oh. Oh, boy. Actually, oh _girl._ "

Donghyuck watched an undoubtedly stunning woman exit the vehicle with his jaw dropped.

"Do you know her, Jaemin?"

"I have never seen her before." The boy shook his head.

Hyuck continued his obvious staring, until the girl noticed and looked back at him.

"Wow, a nine."

"Nope, definitely a ten."

Donghyuck and Jaemin turned their heads at the stranger who just walked up to them. He was dressed in black from head to toe, with a mask on his face. He had a bratty, confident look in his eyes. And was an eight. 

"My name is Yuta," he continued. "And that girl is my cousin, Momo. She almost beat you in the race so better don't mess with her. She won't hesitate to harm even you, Na Jaemin."

When the man walked away, Jeno cleared his throat, making Jaemin and Donghyuck focus back on the phone.

"Hey, lovebirds. You might be interested in one thing I'm about to share with you."

"Go on."

"Momo sounds oddly familiar. Like I bet Tae… I mean, TY knows her."

"Then perhaps do us a favor and ask your ex-crush about her, Jeno." Donghyuck rolled his eyes.

"I already did, he texted me that she's actually named Minatozaki Momo, commonly addressed as "Mom" by… And well, here's the problem. Everything makes it look like she's a higher up in the Mantis but there's no proof. And the only way to get it is to become a Mantis member as well. We have Haseul and Shuhua working on it but it's a time-consuming process."

Donghyuck promised to search for some more information, so soon he found himself in Jaemin's car again, working on his inseparable laptop. 

"Should I drive you home?"

He looked up at the boy beside him. He was already staring at him, their eyes locked yet Donghyuck felt nothing. Nothing but warmth and… oh no, are those butterflies?

"Koeun will nag at me again if she sees me with a ten, especially at night. She refuses to believe you won't hurt me."

"What do we do, then? Do you want to stay at my place?"

"That's not any better but hopefully she doesn't find out."

"Is this a yes?"

"I guess."

Jaemin's apartment was not the most impressive. From a man who owns cars and even bicycles worth millions, you'd expect just as a fancy house but… Well, it was nowhere near that.

"I move every three months, there's no need to rent a huge house."

"Yeah but this one is like… Just one room. A couch, travel fridge, a desk and a tiny bathroom. Oh, and how could I forget those five hangers." Donghyuck rested his hands on his hips, looking around the apartment. If that's how you call a small room perfect for a broke college student.

"I keep most of my stuff at Jeno's. But hey, at least I have a nice parking spot."

"I have never been at Jeno's and at this point, I'm afraid to."

"Come on." Jaemin chuckled. "You're complaining all the time and you're still wondering why everyone thinks you're the feminine one in our relationship?"

"Excuse me very much, I'm not feminine, you're just a jock in leather jackets and expensive cars. If you compare me to some otaku nerd I'll definitely be the manly one."

As they were talking, both slowly started getting ready to sleep. Donghyuck even got one of Jaemin's hoodies to sleep in. 

"Come here." Jaemin patted the free space on his bed.

"Are you sure we're at this point of friendship yet?"

But having no better option, Hyuck squeezed himself next to the other boy, wrapping himself in a blanket. They talked for a while, and Donghyuck didn't know that, but there, on an uncomfortable couch, with the moon and streetlamps being the only sources of light, and in a huge hoodie, Jaemin thought he was beautiful.

"So you are a skater boy."

"My goodness, why are people surprised when they see me playing games, doing parkour and such. Like, I know I hang out with girls a lot but I'm nowhere near their gay best friend to get a manicure or go shopping with."

"People always assume things." Jaemin sighed, now laying on his back and staring at the shadows on the ceiling.

"Yeah… Who would think you know how to sew or cook." Donghyuck chuckled softly and snuggled a bit closer to the boy.

"Who would think you enjoy dangerous things."

"I mean, I'm in bed with a ten in both meanings at this very moment."

"I promise it's not at all dangerous." Jaemin chuckled lightly but his smile dropped nearly as soon as it appeared. "At least to you."

"What do you mean?" 

"It might be dangerous to my heart," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

Donghyuck raised his eyebrows, staring into Jaemin's chocolate brown orbs. When their eyes met, he felt no fear, but no warmth either. The younger's gaze held nothing but hesitancy and regret. 

"What do you want, Hyuck? You push me away and then pull me close." Jaemin added, keeping the eye contact. "Are you playing with me? Like Renjun with this kid?"

"I… I never meant to hurt you." Donghyuck dropped his head low, laying it on the boy's arm. "Honestly, It’s all happening so fast... I don't know what I want myself."

The two of them remained quiet, Jaemin soon drifting off to sleep. Donghyuck was left full of questions, listening to the first raindrops quietly hit the window.

°°°

"It looks like it'll never stop raining." Lia let out a sigh, leaning her head on the desk, mindlessly staring into the window behind Donghyuck.

"I know right, it's the third day it's pouring all the time."

They were sitting in their last class of the day and the professor was eight minutes late. 

"If Mr Kim doesn't come within the next five minutes I'm going home."

"Same. It's ridiculous, who shows up late to a 3 PM class?"

"Who arranges the schedule to even have 3 PM class?

As they were talking, Donghyuck was scrolling on his silver laptop, trying to find information on-

"Miss Momo? Why are you stalking her?"

He slammed his hand on the desk, intensely staring into Lia's eyes. She leaned back in her chair, furrowing her eyes in pure confusion.

"Who is she to you?" The boy was seconds away from internally exploding. He's always known Lia was a five for a reason.

"Gosh, Hyuck… Chill, she's just my ex-girlfriend’s godmother. I mean, I guess, she's always called her mom."

"Holy shit. Lia, which of your ex-girlfriends?!" Donghyuck nearly stood up from his seat, grabbing her by the shoulders.

A bunch of their classmates gave them a weird look, including the girl herself. 

"What are you doing, Donghyuck..?" He could see a hint of fear in her eyes. "It's Hwang Yeji. I have no idea what you need that for but like… Beware, she's a bit of a crazy feminazi."

Donghyuck texted Jeno and Jaemin and started packing his things. He threw his textbooks into his bag, grabbed his laptop under his arm and nearly ran out of class, throwing a quick 'Five minutes passed, if Mr Kim comes tell him my mom's in a hospital'.

As he sprinted through the empty halls and nearly hit the suddenly opened door, revealing none other but Na Jaemin.

"Oh great, here you are! We're going to the base, Jeno wants to make some kind of a meeting and gosh, we've finally got some sort of trace."

Jaemin already had car keys in his hand, he interlocked his other hand with Donghyuck's, dragging him outside.

They made it to the car, both panting from the run. Donghyuck looked at their hands, intertwined fingers and then into Jaemin's eyes. It was the first time they talked since that night. And they were hinted with warmth again. 

The magical moment was ruined by Jeno video calling. They were pacing through the city in the middle of the day, as much as traffic allowed them to.

"Quicker, guys, you're the only ones left." Jeno on the screen of Donghyuck's phone was shaky, but he was no different in real life. "There are more people than I expected… I'm getting nervous."

"We'll be there in a minute, Jen. Fix your tie, take a deep breath and you'll be fine."

"TY should be the one speaking, you're the actual leader at this point." Jaemin snorted. 

"Don't say that. He's doing many things that you have no idea about. I'm just the one to represent him in order to protect his identity."

"You see, you're already speaking formally. There's nothing to be worried about, you know all of the members anyway."

"Yeah, you look great, by the way."

And so the two continued their attempts to calm Jeno down, soon also in person. Donghyuck patted his best friend on the back, and clutched on Jaemin's sleeve, maneuvering in the not so small crowd. They reached the table at which Renjun and Yangyang sat with three other guys.

"Jaem, Hyuck, come sit with us!" Yangyang waved at them and the two brought chairs to join the small group.

The boy holding on to Renjun's hand under the table was no one else but Jisung, the high school senior from before. The black-haired man, visibly the oldest at the table, turned out to Yangyang's partner, Ten. Respectively they were a five to six (here Donghyuck wasn't entirely sure) and an eight. But the third boy… Not only he was yet another ten, but also Jaemin's best friend, Chenle. Donghyuck couldn't tell what bothered him more: the number or maybe the look he noticed in Chenle's eyes once the boy saw Jaemin's bright smile.

But he wasn't given a chance to overthink, as Jeno and Yeeun showed up on a makeshift stage. He dressed in a black button-up shirt and also black slim leg pants, and she in a simple white dress, no longer than to the half of her thighs.

"I can't believe this coward dragged her to accompany him."

"Please, they look like they're getting married."

"Honestly speaking, I'd love to see them getting married."

"Yeah, Yeeun's a literal angel."

"She's too good for this dumbass."

"Guys, just saying, but I believe they have something important to tell us."

Jeno put a microphone to his mouth and cleared his throat. When the room became silent, he smiled and slightly bowed.

"Hello. I've met all of you at the very beginning of your journey within our organization, but just to remind you, my name is Jeno and this is my dearest assistant, Yeeun." The girl also bowed her head. "You surely know that the organization has no name. That's because we're like ghosts, we don't exist to the public, we work undercover. Everything Yeeun and I are about to say comes straight from our leader and is verified by the government." Jeno walked up to the wall on which a slideshow was projected. "Both mine and her team are working on the same case, the Mantis. Fully female organized crime group. They've been more active only for a few months but a bunch of men already lost their health or life because of them, as their main activity is taking revenge."

"Yes." Yeeun nodded and came closer to the boy. "Two members of my team were chosen by Miss Eunbi to get into the Mantis group. But the thing is, new members are obligated to get rid of an assigned by the leader man. We know Minatozaki Momo, one of Mantis higher-ups, chose Jung Jaehyun as a target for our Haseul. We can’t provide protection to Shuhua’s target though, as there’s no recent information from her.”

“We’re certain it’s one of us since Momo got to know about our organization and some of the members. That’s why we’re here, to warn all of you and ask you for cooperation. Even if your current task has nothing to do with Mantis, we request you notify us if you meet any of those people.”

A bunch of pictures and names showed up on the screen, Momo, Yuta and Yeji too. The room started whispering, some recognizing the wanted.

"Oh my gosh, that's Yuna's friend." Jisung gasped, making everyone at the table turn their heads at him.

"Who's Yuna?" Donghyuck leaned closer, staring at the younger (yet taller) brown-haired boy.

"Oh… It's just my friend from junior year. She has some college girls picking her up after school though. But don't suspect her, Yuna wouldn't hurt a fly." He put his hands up in a surrendering gesture.

"We believe you, but keep an eye on her. They might want to use her as some sort of bait."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," Renjun spoke up. "Jisung just has to ask around and we'll surely find some more traces."

"Did we just adopt him into our team?" Yangyang cackled and ruffled Jisung's hair.

"Jeno and I have been babying him for months anyway." 

Jeno and Yeeun soon finished their talk and came to their table, making some people join them. Long story short, Donghyuck got to know half of the organization members that day. The overly enthusiastic Hendery, the bitter Xiaojun, and everyone else, they captured Donghyuck's heart. Well, maybe not Chenle. Chenle looked dead inside, he talked and smiled as if he was missing something. Except for those times when he locked eyes with Jaemin, and that was way too cheesy for Donghyuck's liking.

"Can I stay at your place for a while? Jaemin left with his lovely best friend." He left out a sigh once the room emptied.

"Stop being so bitter. It's just Chenle." Jeno chuckled, packing his things.

"Just Chenle, my ass. One of Jaemin's favorite people on the planet, who's on top of that totally mesmerized by him." Donghyuck rolled his eyes as they were walking through the grey, nearly silver, empty halls. "You do realize I not only see the level of danger in others' eyes, right? I'm good at reading emotions."

"So what did you read, lover boy?" Jeno asked in a playful voice while unlocking the door to his apartment.

"Jeno Lee, this is a serious matter."

"And why is that? Why do you care about Jaemin and Chenle so much?"

This simple question, in fact pretty logical, got Donghyuck startled. He blinked at the boy who just entered the room.

"I… I mean, he confessed to me! He should act like he meant it if he wants to gain my trust!" 

"He did _what_?"

"We were kinda cuddling in his bed and he said shit like it's dangerous for his heart and that I'm playing with his feelings."

Jeno cackled, raising his eyebrows with a pitting smile. 

"A month ago you couldn't stand in one room with him and now you're sleeping in one bed?"

"We both just get close with people very fast- Oh man, your living room could fit Jaemin's whole apartment twice if not more."

"Well, it's all thanks to the president. Actually, last Sunday TY and I went to meeting over coffee with him and he's thinking of giving us a bigger headquarters building. I'd say this one is fine though." Donghyuck followed Jeno to the kitchen, way too big and equipped compared to poor his cooking skills. 

"Are you for real?"

"Of course not, we've got a whole skyscraper and Taeyong always goes to business meetings alone."

"You know, I've heard so many ridiculous things these days you hanging out with the president wouldn't surprise me as much as it should. And oh, wait- Taeyong? That's TY's name?"

"Oh." Jeno widened his eyes and cleared his throat. "Well, yeah. You're not supposed to know this. But now that I said that- Taeyong got engaged a few weeks ago and the time we met you and Jaemin we were actually going to buy a ring… I beg, this isn't even friend zone anymore." He sat opposite Donghyuck at the table, putting two glasses of water in front of them.

"Are you still not over him?"

"I am, it was just an innocent teenage crush… but gosh, sometimes he's so stupid it's unbelievable. He really treats me like a baby bro, and I'm a bit overwhelmed with this amount of care." 

The two boys continued talking for about two hours before Donghyuck realized he's not at all prepared for his morning classes. So, they went to the garage and even with lack of interest in cars, he was totally impressed with the collection ('These are all TY's vehicles? And you can borrow whichever you want?')

Once Donghyuck got home, he sprawled out on his bed and stared at the white ceiling for five minutes straight, one question in his mind: ‘What on Earth am I doing?’

°°°

Unfortunately, two weeks passed and he had no answer whatsoever.

Sure, he wasn't thinking about it the whole time, just whenever Jaemin came a bit too close. So, the majority of time.

"Stop freaking out, Yerim. We'll be fine."

"You can't guarantee that! Each time any of you go into the shady areas I'm worried if you will ever come back!" The girl hit Jeno's arm. The whole three were sitting on the carpet in Donghyuck's bedroom, surrounded by textbooks.

"I will not be attacked. If they wanted to get rid of higher-ups they'd start from TY. And Donghyuck has Jaemin who carries a gun or two around."

"That's the problem! Mantis might want to eliminate the men and take my team in, who knows? You're not any less in danger, Jen. And Donghyuck is in danger because of Jaemin. I mean in more danger, because your whole team has to be wary. Don't you see the pattern? The girls' first target being someone their age? Haseul and Jaehyun? Did you already forget about Soobin, Lia's ex-boyfriend from high school? You think who harmed him, if not Yeji? And oh, look, Shuhua happens to be born in January of the same year as the five of you!"

"Don't worry about us, we'll be careful." Donghyuck patted Yeri on the shoulder. He couldn't understand why she's so overdramatic. That is, until the next Friday night.

"What?! Na Jaemin, are you deaf or stupid?" 

"Might be both." Yangyang snorted, sitting alongside Donghyuck on the mask of his Toyota.

"I can't back out now. Especially not now that Momo's racing too."

"Jaemin, please."

The boy ran his hand through his brown hair, sending a tired look at the two. He sighed and leaned on his car, putting his hands into his pockets.

"I can't. She's going to look down on us."

In the corner of his eye Donghyuck noticed Yuta in all black, staring at their trio. This could not go well.

Fifteen minutes later Jaemin rolled down his tinted window to give Donghyuck one last smile before going to the start line. 

"I'll be fine, baby." He chuckled.

"You better be."

But there was something weird in Jaemin’s eyes. Something common within tens, a bit of anger, sprinkled with regret and madness.

So when the race started, Donghyuck felt uneasy, afraid, almost. He grabbed Yangyang's wrist, his eyes glued to the two cars in the front. The younger boy kept mouthing swear words as Momo was left behind.

"Something's wrong. She's going easy on him."

"Oh gosh."

Donghyuck tightened his grip, his breath getting short respectively as the distance between Jaemin and the finish line was becoming smaller.

He crossed it. Jaemin won and nothing happened.

Yangyang and Jaemin sat there, dumbfounded, as the crowd around them cheered. And then it happened. The car suddenly did a deadly drift and rolled over its roof.

"Oh my God."

"Holy fuck!”

Donghyuck had no idea what's going on, as if his head was empty. Filled only with shock and panic. With shaky limbs, he jumped off the Toyota, following Yangyang who tried to make his way through the crowd.

It felt like a fever dream, everyone around him was loud, yet he felt like his heartbeat was louder. They were still far away when they saw a flash of light over people's faces and heard a loud boom.

"Oh God. Oh my God." Donghyuck stopped in his tracks and covered his mouth. His heart felt too heavy.

Yangyang grabbed his hand and harshly dragged him through the panicking crowd. They made it to the burning car, Donghyuck could feel the heat on his face as well as tears wetting his cheeks. He blinked a few times to get rid of his blurry vision and glanced at Yangyang.

The Chinese boy kept looking at anything other than the car, trying to make himself believe Jaemin will come out from the crowd. But that didn't happen.

"It's Mantis. Of course, it's them." He said through gritted teeth, subconsciously gripping on Donghyuck's hand until it started hurting. "I knew Momo was driving slower on purpose. And now they set the car on fire to get rid of the evidence."

"Do you think he… was Shuhua's target?" Donghyuck asked in a quiet, shaky voice, as he leaned closer to him.

"I'm sure about this." Yangyang's voice sounded different, thick and throaty. Donghyuck shifted his gaze, previously glued to the ground, to see none other than Shuhua herself, staring right back at them.

Yangyang flinched forward and grabbed the girl by both arms. Most people would feel bad, shrink into themselves after being given such a venomous death glare. Shuhua, though, remained calm even when the boy started shaking her, demanding an explanation.

“Yangyang, let her speak.” Donghyuck gripped on his shoulder and watched as he takes a step back, angry tears silently flowing down his face. Perhaps Shuhua had glossy eyes too.

“It’s so heartbreaking to see you two having a literal breakdown because of your teammate’s death...” She sniffled.

“He was more than just a teammate for both of us. Our team is like a family.”

“I know. You’re absolute idiots though.”

“Excuse me?” Yangyang leaned forward again. Donghyuck kept his hand on his shoulder, unable to say anything through the clenched throat

“Do you really think I’d let the Mantis bitches kill Jaemin?” A faint smile formed on the girl’s lips.

“What does this mean?”

Shuhua made the two boys leave the place, leading them to a white car, parked away from the whole scene. Donghyuck wished he could say ‘no thoughts, head empty’ but it was the exact opposite for him. Yangyang seemed not to be any less confused, his glares at the girl getting less intense each time, filling in with hope. She opened the door to the car and walked a bit but further away, allowing the two to have a look inside.

Jaemin was there. It made no sense, logic said the boy should be burning together with his Chevrolet, not be sprawled on the back seat in Shuhua’s car, with just a few scratches and minor injuries.

“How the fuck...”

“No secrets rule doesn’t apply in this particular situation.” Jaemin put his phone down and sat up, staring at the two with a small smirk. “But I knew what Momo and Yuta were planning.”

“I fucking hate you. You’re terrible and I want to kill everyone and then myself.” 

Jaemin chuckled and got out of the car, standing up with difficulty. He winced when Yangyang harshly pulled him into a hug. 

“Bro, you made me cry. Like literally, this is the first time I cried over a man,” He burrowed his face in Jaemin’s neck as the slightly younger boy patted him on the back in encouraging manner.

“I’m sorry Shuhua and I did this whole show but we had to be convincing.”

“Yeah, whatever, you’re still an asshole. And my best bro.”

Donghyuck watched the whole scene in silence, blinking to get rid of tears in his eyes. He noticed Shuhua staring at them with her arms folded and a weak smile on her face. He guessed it must have been hard for her too, to live with their enemy, to put hers and Jaemin’s lives at risk in order to save him. 

When Yangyang finally calmed down, Jaemin shifted his head and locked eyes with Donghyuck. The anger and regret were still there but topped with care and concern.

“Can I stay at your place for the night?” He whispered in Donghyuck’s ear when the boy walked up closer only to immediately get closed in Jaemin’s arms.

“Koeun will make sure you’re dead for real this time if you do.”

“Alright. You stay with me then.”

And so Donghyuck did. Shuhua drove them to Jaemin’s apartment, not before offering to take Yangyang too. But the tsundere boy claimed he was fine and got to his own car, probably planning to invite himself to Jeno’s and Renjun’s little sleepover and share the whole story.

Jaemin ran his free hand through his hair, his other arm wrapped around sulky Donghyuck.

“I’m so sorry, I know it must be a bit traumatizing because of what happened to your parents. But now Momo is sure I’m dead and Shuhua has access to all important information. Just a few more days and we’ll get her and the whole gang of those crazy girls imprisoned. Well, that will take a while but I won’t have to hide anymore. So… Forgive me, please?”

The two were lying down on Jaemin’s couch, the boy lovingly staring at Donghyuck who have been at a loss of words for two hours already. The slight pain in his chest wasn’t helping.

“It was one of the worst experiences in my entire life.”

“Hyuckie, please… You know I had to. Hm? Please don’t be mad at me. I mean, you have every right to be but...” Jaemin started drawing invisible circles on Donghyuck’s shoulder with his hand. 

“You’re such a pain in the ass Jaemin.” The ginger-haired boy let out a deep, disappointed sigh. “First you caused me panic attacks, now I’ll get separation anxiety and even bigger fear of cars. Great! Thank you.”

“I said I’m sorry, I really am.” Jaemin’s puppy eyes were way too convincing for Donghyuck’s liking. Yet there he was, rolling his eyes with one more sigh and cupping his cheeks.

“At least now I know what I want.”

“And what is it?”

“It’s you, dumbass.”

Jaemin’s eyes lit up as he smiled and put his hand on Donghyuck’s neck, pulling him a little bit closer.

“I’m happy to hear that.”

“Yeah, I know, now you can make up for the bullshit you pulled out today and kiss me.”

He didn't have to repeat himself twice. It was strange, two months earlier Donghyuck wouldn’t even think he’d feel Jaemin’s lips on his own. Yet he could feel more than just that, he could feel Jaemin’s care for him. And yeah, his lips too, now leaving gentle kisses on his neck.

“Is it too early to ask you to be my boyfriend?” Jaemin asked, looking Donghyck’s shiny eyes.

“Absolutely not.”

°°° 

“This is a campus canteen. A place to eat food, not each other’s faces.”

“Stop being so salty, my gosh.”

Yangyang snorted and went back to his conversation with Mark and Lucas. It was a regular Thursday, the whole nine sitting at the “popular table” even though it became more casual now. Yeri was attempting at making a fishtail braid with Yuqi’s hair and whispering something to her ear. Little did their friends know, it was an ‘I’ll rip all extensions off your head if you move one more time.’

“Jeno, open your mouth.” Yeeun chuckled and fed the boy with one more cherry tomato.

“Me too.” Lucas turned his head at her with a pout. The girl sighed and shoved the fruit into his mouth, ruffling his hair afterward.

Jeno himself was video calling Renjun, discussing the end of their first task. Momo was in prison, Yeji and a bunch of other girls were being investigated. And technically, they knew it was not the end yet; that the end might never come. But they enjoyed what they had at the moment.

So, Jaemin kissed the top of Donghyuck’s head, wrapping his arms tighter around the boy in his lap.

“Oh, wait a second, Jun... “ Jeno furrowed his eyebrows when he got a new message. “Well… my boys…” He cleared his throat. “I really hope at least one of you have some knowledge on catching Chinese drug smugglers.”

“Here we go again,” Donghyuck whined. Every task was dangerous, any could be their last one.

But at least they were a team. Or actually, no. They were a family.

**Author's Note:**

> big thank you if made it till the end !! additional note: i've had this universe planned since skz hellevator, it was a hyungwonho, then a norenmin, a nohyuck, jenle, jaemle, and now it transformed into a nahyuck. how? idk but i'm glad and i really got attached to many of the characters.


End file.
